Indian hockey teams arrive at 2026 Asian Games as favourites but face off-field turbulence

India's men's and women's hockey teams go into the 2026 Asian Games as favourites but must contend with recent on- and off-field issues as they prepare for the tournament, sources in Indian hockey say.

The men's side enter with an established continental record: four Asian Games gold medals, four Asia Cup titles and five Asian Champions Trophy crowns, and they lifted the last Asia Cup after being held to a single draw during that campaign. The women's team have an Asian Games gold from 1982, three Asian Champions Trophy titles and a fifth-place finish at the Women's Hockey World Cup under coach Sjoerd Marijne, a run that included a draw against China, the Paris Olympics silver medallists.

Off-field turbulence has dominated recent months inside Hockey India, including an internal power struggle, a saffron jersey controversy ahead of the World Cup and uncertainty over the future of the Hockey India League. Expectations remain high—particularly for the men's team—and that pressure follows a disappointing World Cup campaign in which India finished eighth after failing to beat any higher-ranked teams. "The men's team had a bit of a turbulent World Cup, but actually, when you talk about hockey, I like to talk about the wome. I thought the women had an excellent World Cup compared to previous editions. But how do players shut out the noise when the sport around them is going through a turbulent phase?" said former India defender Viren Rasquinha.

Rasquinha said administrative turmoil requires players to maintain focus on the field. "With all the administrative issues happening, yes, I think that is definitely a turbulent period," he said. "But as players, I think part of the skill sets required when you represent Indian hockey is to be able to really focus on what your job is as a player, and not be distracted by off-field events."

The Asian Games carry added importance because they offer a direct route to Olympic qualification; missing out would force India into the separate Olympic qualification process, which the article describes as fraught with pressure and uncertainty. Rasquinha framed the tournament as a pivotal chance: "We have to be really focused and execute really well. I think this is a golden chance for both teams to secure automatic Olympic qualification, and believe me, it makes such a huge difference in the preparation, because then you're freed from the burden of going through the Olympic qualification process, which can get really bumpy, and full of tension and stress, and gives you less opportunity to try out new things, new variations, new systems, new players. But if you seal qualification now, it's a major boost to our preparations for LA 28 Olympics."

Rasquinha outlined why he sees the women's team as revived under Marijne after a period that included missing Paris 2024 and changes in coaching and management. "If you ask me about the women's team. I would say China were miles ahead at a point given that they won Asian Games gold very easily last time, and also they came second at the Paris Olympics and played marvelous hockey at Paris," he said. "But I just thought that the Indian women's team really surprised all of us. This time, they just played such good hockey. The fighting spirit, team spirit, impressed me." He also credited changes in sports science and conditioning: "What Short Marjine has definitely done is just brought a lot of team unity. I think it's done a great job of bringing the team together, fighting for each other, and I think Wayne Lombard and his team of sports science experts have done a fantastic job in the fitness and strength levels of the Indian women's team." "I felt that they were able to join into attack, throw numbers. Everyone was coming back and defending as a team. For me, that was really impressive. So, a combination of factors for the women's team doing really well," he added. "I would still say Indian women's hockey team are not firm favorites, but it's a 50-50 chance between India and China in women's hockey."

Craig Fulton’s position as men's coach, once seen as secure after delivering an Olympic bronze, Asian Games gold and other continental success, has come under scrutiny following the World Cup, and Hockey India’s past reaction to poor World Cup showings adds context: Graham Reid departed after India's disappointing 2023 home World Cup. Rasquinha warned that failure to win gold would bring pressure on players and staff: "In terms of the men's team, if we don't win gold. I think it comes with the territory that there will be pressure. Like I said, we are expected to win gold. There's no other Asian team in the top 10 in the world. We are defending Asian Games gold medal winners, so the nature of hockey or cricket in our country is that if we don't win, it's by nature of the job and expectations in our country that the coach, not just the coach, I think everyone in the team will be under pressure to maintain their places. Having said that, I am confident they will win gold but they have to play far better than they did at the World Cup."

The Asian Games represent a chance to secure automatic Olympic qualification and to rebuild confidence after a difficult World Cup for the men and to confirm the women's recent resurgence; both teams will now contest the hockey competition at the Asian Games.